Month: July 2022

We have recently lost Hollywood icons including Paul Sorvino and David Warner in recent weeks, and now we sadly report on the passing of another industry legend. According to several reports, actress Mary Alice, who was involved in performing since she was a small child, has died at 85. Her roles have been etched into film and television history as Mary Alice has had memorable features on A Different World, The Matrix Revolutions, Malcolm X, Sparkle, Down in the Delta, and much more.

The Mississippi native reportedly spent some time as a teacher before taking another leap into acting back in the 1970s. It proved to be lucrative as her stage and small screen parts helped her develop a name for herself.

Although she reportedly officially retired from her acting career just over 15 years ago, Mary Alice’s performances have been in heavy rotation as many series found themselves in syndication.

According to NPR, the actress once said of her career, “I chose this profession because I feel this is how I can fulfill my service as a human being–communicating the human condition… My desire is to create interesting and complex characters on film and television.”

We offer our sincerest condolences to Mary Alice’s loved ones during this time. Read through a few tributes below.

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Since the 1980s, Madonna has had a chokehold on Pop. The eras of her career are etched in music history and love her or hate her, she has always commanded attention. Madonna has become an icon that has traveled the world, performing her hits for fans, many of who have stayed faithful for decades, and she is now planning on sharing her story in a forthcoming biopic. In true Madonna fashion, the singer is hands-on with the project, and at the top of the year, she reportedly spent time with Kanye West’s ex Julia Fox, as the actress was said to have secured a role in the film.

In a recent interview with Variety, the singer spoke about what it has been like compiling her lifelong accomplishments into a movie.

“I have a very long script that is really hard for me to make shorter. I’ve been whittling away at it, but it’s like hacking off my limbs” she said while also revealing why she decided to make the leap and release a biopic.

“I’ve had an extraordinary life, I must make an extraordinary film. It was also a preemptive strike because a lot of people were trying to make movies about me. Mostly misogynistic men. So I put my foot in the door and said, “No one’s going to tell my story, but me.”

It is unclear what highlights will be included in the script, but some wonder if her relationship with Tupac Shakur will make the cut.

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There is a feeling of freedom that Bobby Shmurda holds now that he is an independent artist, and he’s readying his new wave now that he’s officially announced his new project. His BodBoy EP is slated for arrival next month so Shmurda has been on a promotional tour, and recently, he sat down with The Party Starters podcast where he talked about why he’s different than other artists out there. 

According to Shmurda, when he was young he was causing trouble in school and was never the “good” kid, so he doesn’t play that part in the industry. 

Bryan Bedder / Stringer / Getty Images

As he spoke about industry politics, Shmurda also praised Joyner Lucas and questioned why he doesn’t receive more recognition.

“The sh*t that I hate about the industry is [that] they don’t talk about Joyner Lucas. Y’all know who that is? Why the f*ck don’t we talk about him?” asked Shmurda. “He can sit in his house, making a quarter million a month off his sh*t that he’s putting out there.” Shmurda seemed to argue that because he’s an independent artist and outside of the industry machine, Lucas is overlooked.

“He making more money than the top five artists, like I just said! He’s making three-four hundred a month. Easy, sitting down. He got more money than, sh*t, the biggest rappers n*ggas talk about, but the fame and the money, that’s the thing, you know what I’m sayin’? I don’t give a f*ck about popularity.” 

Watch Bobby Shmurda’s appearance on The Party Starters below. Also, make sure to read our cover story with Shmurda:Bobby Shmurda is Ready to Live.

He has long paid homage to the Latino community in his music, but after releasing the music video to “Ay Caramba” earlier this month, Tyga is returning to issue a formal apology. In the visual, Tyga is accused of using stereotypes that have long plagued the Latino community, and during his visit to Power 106 in Los Angeles, he took a moment to apologize for the concept.

A video shared by the radio station prefaced Tyga’s appearance with a statement that reads: “The L.A. Leakers is a safe space for all guests. We believe the best way to tackle problems is through open communication and we are that space for artists and our community.”

It continued: “We appreciate Tyga and American Cholo coming in and honesty discussing the issue. Communication is the key to understanding and peace. – Justin Credible – L.A. Leakers on Power 106.”

American Cholo, who operates a podcast that speaks to the issues of Brown communities, criticized Tyga’s visual when it was first released and sat with him to discuss why “Ay Caramba” was problematic. According to him, if things were switched and it was a non-Black person doing the same thing with Black stereotypes, it would be inappropriate and there would be outrage.

Tyga said that when he first saw that people were offended by the music video, he was “confused” so he didn’t immediately respond. He clarified that his visuals were never to make fun of Mexican or Latin cultures, and American Cholo told him he never thought that the rapper was doing anything maliciously.

It was a conversation of education, edification, and understanding. Check out Tyga’s apology below.

The rise and reign of Nicki Minaj have been debated, discussed, and dissected for years, and now fans are getting an even more intimate look at one of the queens of Rap. The New York hitmaker has dominated the charts ever since she stepped into the mainstream, and her devoted fanbase has made sure that her catalog remains at the top of the charts. We’re weeks away from receiving Minaj’s new single “Freaky Girl,” and ahead of its arrival, she delivers a teaser to her anticipated documentary.

“You don’t get a manual on how to be a famous rapper,” she said in the clip. “You just learn it as you go.”

Jamie McCarthy / Staff / Getty Images

The trailer is spliced with old footage of Minaj at the start of her career, behind-the-scenes looks at her interacting with fans, and shows the unending attention that she receives from one city to the next.

“Coming out SOONER THANK YOU THINK,” she wrote in the caption. “I took some time to perfect this very intimate, delicate, electrifying, inspiring body of work. As I decide on a home for this project, I can’t help but reflect on what I’m including in this doc. Some things are so personal, it’s scary. It’s like NOTHING you’ve seen before & I need it to be handled with care. Love you so much. Thank you for the continued support. @bronstudios.”

The six-part docuseries will reportedly show Minaj and her evolution in a new light. Once she shares a release date, we’ll be back with an update. In the meantime, check out the trailer below.

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Renaissance continues to stir controversy ahead of its release, and Kelis is targeting Beyoncé. We’ve previously reported on the “Milkshake” hitmaker lashing out about her 1999 single, “Get Along With You,” being sampled on Bey’s forthcoming project. Earlier today (July 28), Kelis fired off several comments about finding that her track was listed in the credits, however, she wasn’t happy about it.

“My mind is blown too because the level of disrespect and utter ignorance of all 3 parties involved is astounding. I heard about this the same way everyone else did. Nothing is ever as it seems, some of the people in this business have no soul or integrity and they have everyone fooled,” she wrote.

A quick look at the credits from the single shows that it was executive produced by Rob Walker, Chad Hugo, and Pharrell Williams. The latter two make up The Neptunes, the megaproducers who worked closely with Kelis back in the 1990s on multiple projects. Huge and Williams are also listed as writers, producers, and arrangers of the song, causing a wave of backlash from the public, as many people questioned why Kelis targeted Beyoncé. 

However, the singer and chef returned to further explain her gripe.

“I just heard the record everyone is saying has my sample . But it’s beyond this song at this point . This was a Trigger for me,” she said. “Milkshake alone is one of the most licensed records of our generation. I am a creator , I’m an innovator, I have done more then left my mark on an era of music and style that will go down in history . But there are bully’s and secrets and gangsters in this industry that smile and get away with it until someone says enough is enough.”

“So I’m saying it today . I’m coming for what’s mine and I want reparations . Peace.” Watch more from Kelis below as she explains why she believes Beyoncé should have reached out and talks about how the industry is riddled with dishonesty. 

As Meta and Instagram continue to ignore requests from users to stop making changes to the platform, Styles P has a question about a nagging problem plaguing the latter. Anyone who uses Instagram knows all about those bots that takeover comment sections of posts or show up in the views of Stories. Most of the time the bots are linked to some form of pornography, and The Lox rapper wanted to know who is responsible for the bot takeover.

Styles shared a video where he asked his followers, “Who controls the bots? I need to understand this.”

Bennett Raglin / Stringer / Getty Images

“They have young white women saying and—who’s these young white ladies? Who’s protecting them? These pictures are coming from somewhere. Who’s the bots? This is ridiculous… Who’s doing this? Who’s falling for this?” He then told the “bot controllers” that there need to be “bot couthness,” before pointing out that bot even jump up on posts where people are mourning their loved ones that pass away.

In his caption, Styles added:

“To any and all bot controllers !! Please .. start practicing bot couth !! Sh*t is outta control .. somebody gonna lose it because of yall!!!! [crying loudly emoji] but I’m dead serious [face palm emoji][shrug emoji] If you point me in the direction of a bot controller .. I may take one for the team and catch an assault 3 …. I wouldn’t throw hands .. but a cobra Kai reverse foot sweep may happen.”

“Nobody seems to care about the bots. This is what I have to say to the bot controllers: Bot it down. That sh*t is lame, it’s irritating, it’s f*cked up.”

Check out his video below.

We’ve been waiting to hear more from Ari Lennox on the music front, but the Dreamville standout has been carefully piecing together her next record. It was back in 2019 when she delivered her debut studio album Shea Butter Baby, and since that time, her fans have been patiently waiting on more news about her sophomore effort. Lennox’s “Pressure” hit remains a staple on R&B charts—and a favorite among fans of the genre—and the singer is now giving hints as to what her supporters can expect from her forthcoming project.

While promoting Coke Studios with Vibe, Lennox talked about being a bit “anxious” about releasing new music and wanting it to drop immediately.

“I want this album out today if it were up to me, but it’s not, and so it’s driving me crazy. We’re going through mixing, we’re mixing the album right now,” she told the outlet. “We’re in the middle of finishing some music videos. So, it’s beautiful. Things are moving. It’s just, man. I want it out now.”

“I think it’s a part of healing to release music, and I kind of feel like it’s a whole bunch of just… stuff I have to keep inside, when I would like to just get it out. And, I also start thinking about new music. It’s like it kind of creates a block in regards to creating new music because I want to, but I have to focus on getting my baby out.”

Lennox added that fans can expect “a lot of singing,” calling the album “beautiful soul music.”

“A lot of attention to detail, and a lot of vulnerability. Also a lot of realizing I’m not putting up with no more BS… I would say it’s really growing up. Really, really growing up,” she added. “I think [on] Shea Butter Baby, I romanticize a lot of things in life. I feel like I was very naive about a lot of things about romance, about myself, about career, life, whatever, and I feel like I’m just more aware now, more evolved, [and] more, not putting up with certain sh*t I don’t like.”

We’ll keep you updated as Ari Lennox shares more from her sophomore project. 

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